Visitor's name: Johnna Gottlieb
Homepage url:
You are from: NY
Referred by: Just Surfed On In!
Comments: I was diagnosed with Graves Disease in my 24th week of pregnancy. I was feeling really awful. Major sensitivity to heat, my hands would tremble, I generally felt wired, like I had 10 pots of coffee to drink. I called my obstetrician and told him how I was feeling. He thought it might be a Mitral Valve Prolapse, so I had an ecocardiogram. The cardiologist said my heart looked fine but it was beating rapidly. My obstetrician then took blood tests to check my thyroid and sure enough the results showed that I was Hyper. He then referred me to an endocrinologist who put me on PTU and Inderal. He had to be careful though because of the baby. By the time that I saw him I was in pretty bad shaped. My heartrate was 122 beats a minute. My initial dose of medication was not really helping my symptoms so he increased it. I was taking 600mg of PTU and 40mg of Inderal a day. Even though my tests showed improvement, he could only make me feel a little better because he didn't want to overmedicate the baby. The sonograms that I had showed that she had an enlarged thyroid because of my medication however she was growing nicely. I ended up having a c-section because she was 9lbs 5oz. When she was born she was hypothyroid and they gave her Synthyroid. She then stabilized and then went hyper because of my thyroid antibodies in her system. She had been in the hospital for a week when this happened in what is called their special care nursery, a step below ICU. When she went hyper they put her in ICU and started her on Inderal, PTU and Iodine. Her heart rate went up to 200 beats a minute. A few days later they included Synthyroid because they didn't want her to go too much in either direction. After 3 and 1/2 weeks in the hospital they released her completely off medication. Apparently my antibodies would last in her system for 6 weeks but the worst was over. She is now 8 weeks old and 99 percent free of my antibodies. I have decreased my medication. I am now on 300mg of PTU and 10mg a day and my heart rate is now in the eighties. I wanted to write because I want other people to know that this kind of thing can happen. I had the easiest 1st trimester, I sometimes doubted I was pregnant. Then in my 2nd trimester when you are supposed to feel your best I felt like I was going to die. I have always been and extremely healthy person, and this illness was my first experience with feeling really bad. By the time I had my daughter I was so stressed with feeling sick and worrying about her. But there is a happy ending. Lindsay Sarah Ajdukiewicz is healthy and happy and her mom is doing better too. My doctor is going to watch me for the next 6 months to a year to see if I improve. I can stay on the medication as long as I don't have any adverse reactions. If I don't improve we are going to discuss the option of radioactive iodine. The one piece of advice I can give is trust your instincts. Only you know how you feel and when you don't feel right, make sure doctor looks for an answer.
Sign Time: September 11 1998 at 01:46:16

Visitor's name: Margaret Schumacher
Homepage url:
You are from: Seattle, Wa
Referred by: Search Engines
Comments: I was diagnosed with hyperthroidism over 20 years ago (I am now 62), and took radioactive idoine to disolve the gland; have been on replacement therapy since. About 4 years ago, was told my tests showed my dose was twice what it should be, and reduced to half (I was near a nervous breakdown) Now I'm feeling quite in control emotionally, etc., but seem to be gaining weight without any change in diet. 2 years ago was diagnosed with primary billary cirhosis which is also an autoimune disease, and so take about 8 prescriptions every day for all the different symptoms. I find it very interesting to hear about the way others have been affected by this disease.
Sign Time: September 09 1998 at 23:55:05

Visitor's name: Sharon Cook
Homepage url:
You are from: Paola, Kansas
Referred by: Search Engines
Comments: Your story sounded so familiar to mine. I have had minor symtoms most of my life. I remember as a teen-ager when things were rough at home I thought of suicide. I have had menstral and pms problems most all of my life. My mother had thyriod problems and she told me her mother had Grave's disease. I am a very emotional person. After I was married my husband sometimes didn't know what to do with me. After my second child was born I had post-partum depression for almost a year. Most of these things I thought were just part of life. I had check-ups in my late 30's and the doctor said everything was fine. Finally when I was 44 I had some very stressfuls months and all my symtoms escalated and I thought I was going to die. I had lost about 50lbs in four months and was hardly able to function. I was going to a new doctor by that time and she took some blood tests and sent me to a specialist right away. Almost right away after taking medication I felt like a new person. It has been 8 months now and I am still battling the ups and downs. My husband says it is so good to put a handle on all my mood swings. I know I have got a ways to go but with God's help I will finally feel better.
Sign Time: September 08 1998 at 21:39:16

Visitor's name: Barbara K.
Homepage url:
You are from: Milwaukee, WI
Referred by: Just Surfed On In!
Comments: I've had Graves for 2 years now. It's been difficult regulating the synthroid dosage. I had RAI April 1997. I think it may be getting better but still have problems calming down enough to sleep all night. My double vision seems to have stabalized at a 2 up and 2 down prism. Only time will tell and the waiting is hard to take.
Sign Time: September 08 1998 at 11:30:04

Visitor's name: Kathy
Homepage url:
You are from: Thomasville,Georgia
Referred by: Search Engines
Comments: I was diagnosed with Graves two weeks ago after noticing that I couldn't even walk up stairs without sitting down. I thought I was out of shape and I'm just 34. My symptoms included tachycardia, nervousness and shortness of breath. I'm going to be treated with hight dose RAI today and I hope it's the right thing to do. Being on medication the rest of my life does not interest me in the least but neither does the thought of exopthalmus. Is the treatment of choice high dose RAI to eliminate thyroid function and then Synthroid for life? Two doctors told me there was only 20-30% chance that you will become euthyroid. forever
Sign Time: September 08 1998 at 08:16:58

Visitor's name: Virginia
Homepage url:
You are from: Mankato MN
Referred by: People's Guestbook
Comments: I was just treated with RAI last week at the Mayo Clinic. I probably have had Graves disease for over two years but all the symptoms came together the day i went to the emergency room. Thanks for this sight. It helps to hear from others.
Sign Time: September 06 1998 at 16:52:46

Visitor's name: ANTOINETTE CAREY
Homepage url: NONE
You are from: PHILLY
Referred by: Just Surfed On In!
Comments: MY NAME IS ANTOINETTE CAREY AND I HAVE GRAVES DISEASE. AND I JUST FONND OUT LAST WEEK. Im very upset about it, and want to know more about. thank you
Sign Time: September 05 1998 at 14:05:40

Visitor's name: Laura R
Homepage url:
You are from: Minnesota
Referred by: Just Surfed On In!
Comments: I have suffered with many of the symptoms listed in the checklist for several years now. I have visited my doctor repeated and frankly, I am sick to death of being told that there is nothing wrong with me and that all my test come back as "normal". If this is normal, I don't want it!! I am constantly in pain and exhausted almost all of the time. If I am not constipated for a week at a time, then I am having diarhea. The most awful pain is in my back and I can hardly stand, sit, or lay down or even walk. I don't know what to do anymore. I developed extremely high blood pressure during a pregnancy and swelling beyond belief. The doctor said that it would go away shortly after the baby was born...but it didn't. It even got so bad that my hands and arms would be constantly numb. Then I became pregnant again and the condition worsened. After this baby was born there was still no relief. I had my tubes tied a few months later and that is when most of the problems seemed to escilate. I was so HOT all the time. I would be wearing sleeveless shirts at work while others were wrapped in sweaters. I had sweat dripping off my forehead when others were shivering. During the summer, it was amazing that my whole family didn't develope phemonia because of the air-conditioning running constantly. Periodically, I would get severe migrane headaches and then they would just be gone. Then the back pain would come on. I am constantly bloated and my stomach never shrinks regardless of how little I eat. When I walk stairs, I feel like my legs are going to collapse. I feel so terribly weak all of the time. I can't hold a thought to save my life and am always forgetting things. There are so many more symptoms that I could go on and on about, but I won't. If any of this sounds familiar to you, I would truely appreciate any information that anyone could possibly pass along.
Sign Time: September 04 1998 at 04:09:43

Visitor's name: Sam Xie
Homepage url:
You are from: Florida
Referred by: Search Engines
Comments: This site is great!
Sign Time: August 31 1998 at 20:45:30

Visitor's name: Thelma
Homepage url: Thelam
You are from: Massachusetts
Referred by: Just Surfed On In!
Comments: I want to comment thst someone out there has to know a way to help treat this disese without the harsh medication
Sign Time: August 29 1998 at 20:32:02